


Charmed, I'm sure

by mitsukyu



Category: Winner (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 20:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7376062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitsukyu/pseuds/mitsukyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone in the castle is asleep for the agreed-upon one hundred years. Except, of course, Prince Charming. And Prince Charming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charmed, I'm sure

**Author's Note:**

> Fic for this week's 100 minutes for songkang.  
> Prompt: fairy tale

The prince came riding in on a white horse, true to convention. 

He was appropriately attractive; tall, muscular, bronzed skin. The insult was compounded by a face that was perfect to the point of vexation. Sculpted by the gods, cried over by angels, probably. Straight nose, lovely cheekbones. He even had the haughty expression thing down to a T. Who on God's green earth managed a haughty expression that made you _want_ to get down on your knees. Honestly. 

Seungyoon sighed. He didn't know about the Princess but he would wake up for a face like that. 

He got up from his spot in the sun against the castle wall, beat the worst of the grass and dirt off his trousers and called out.

"Hey there!" 

And watched as Prince Charming very nearly fell off his horse in shock. 

It took an amusing while for him to get his feet properly on the ground. One of them had gotten tangled in the stirrups. Seungyoon waited patiently, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Who the fuck are you?" Prince Shocked Yet Still Beautiful demanded finally, eyes wide, impressive eyebrows doing their utmost to convey Trauma, hand clutching at his chest. "No one's supposed to be awake here. The place is cursed, you know," he added, as if he expected Seungyoon to collapse where he stood, now that he'd been reminded.

Seungyoon nodded to where his own horse was grazing a little way off. She too was white. Ish. 

"I got here two days ago," he said. 

"Oh." Prince Charming sighed, closing his eyes and pushing a hand through his black hair. "Fuck. I guess I just came a long way for nothing. At least put me up for the night, yeah?" he implored. "Five more minutes on a damn horse and I'm going to cry. Where's the beautiful princess anyway? Let's get the rubbing in over with as soon as possible." 

Seungyoon shrugged. "Who knows?" 

"What do you mean?" Prince Charming asked suspiciously, glancing around the empty grounds. Seungyoon spread his arms wide in a more impressive gesture of ignorance. 

"I haven't got a clue," he admitted. "I've been searching the castle for the past two days. All I've found so far is dust, more brambles than you can shake a stick at, some more dust and a truly staggering variety of spiders. Not a beautiful princess in sight." 

"Huh," Prince Charming said, looking up at the castle, stone walls glinting white in the sunlight. "So I'm still in with a chance."  

"I guess so, yeah," Seungyoon admitted reluctantly. 

Prince Charming considered the castle, large and imposing, built from rough hewn stones, generously covered in turrets. He worried at his bottom lip, frowning in thought. Seungyoon eyed him. It would be just his luck if Prince Charming was a preternaturally brilliant strategist who'd work out where the elusive princess was in five minutes flat. 

Unlikely, Seungyoon tried to comfort himself. No matter how perfect Prince Charming was, there was no denying Seungyoon had a two day head start and knew of all the many, many rooms the princess _wasn't_ being kept in. (He was starting to suspect she was in another castle.) Unexpectedly,

"... Spiders, you said?" Prince Charming said at last, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He oozed attractive nonchalance.  

"What? Oh, yes. Lots. They're a nuisance. I can't tell you how many spiderwebs I've had to pick out of my hair." 

"Right," Prince Charming said with a determined nod, balling his fist. "It's clear how we must proceed." 

Seungyoon nodded and was about to say something trite along the _may the best man win_ lines, complete with forced smile and awkward handshake, when Prince Charming continued, 

"We'll have to stick together." 

Seungyoon blinked. "Stick together?" 

"It's the only way," Prince Charming said, eyes serious. "Together" -- he threw an arm around Seungyoon's shoulders -- "we'll conquer this fucking castle." 

"... Right," Seungyoon said slowly. On the one hand, it sure beat talking to himself and choking on dust for another week. On the other hand, there was just one problem. "We can't both marry her, though." 

"Well, I mean, we have to find her first. We can deal with other concerns when the time comes. I'm an honorable man," he assured, turning a soulful gaze upon him (which made Seungyoon feel very dishonorable things indeed). "We'll settle the question as men." 

"As men. Yes, of course." Seungyoon cleared his throat. "Ah, a duel you mean?" 

Prince Charming grinned, scratched the back of his head. "Right! A duel. Kind of thing. Like, rock-paper-scissors, you good with that?" 

"Fine. Just fine," Seungyoon managed. It was exhausting, he thought, to be kept continously off balance. The man was _obviously_ every inch the conquering hero, but...

"So, what's your name?" Prince Charming prompted. "I can't keep thinking of you as Prince Charming, hah, it'll mentally set me up for defeat, you know." 

"Ha. Ha ha, no we can't have that," Seungyoon agreed weakly. "I'm Seungyoon, Kang Seungyoon." 

Prince Charming beamed. "Song Mino. Nice to meet you. So" -- he clapped Seungyoon on the back -- "first things first, have you managed to find the kitchens yet?" 

 

He hadn't. Mostly because he hadn't been looking. But whatever else he was, Song Mino seemed to have a nose for kitchens. They found them in twenty minutes and most of that time was spent cutting through the thick brambles that blocked their path. 

There was only a cook snoring in the corner, near the long-cold bread oven. Mino stepped carefully around him to poke his head into the pantry. 

"Yuck." 

He closed the door again and leaned against it, making a face. 

"They have been asleep for a hundred years," Seungyoon said mildly. "Didn't you pack any rations?"

"Of course I did! But I've been on the road for ages. I ate everything already. Right," he said, clapping his hands together, "better find this girl quick. They'll probably prepare a feast of some sort if we wake them up." 

Seungyoon rolled his eyes. "What with? Alright, alright." He lay his own pack on the table and started to unwrap it. He nodded at the empty hearth. "You start a fire and we'll share my food. We might be able to make a soup," he added, pursing his lips as he considered everything of edibility he had left. He'd stopped to resupply in the nearest village, a journey of a day or two from the castle. But he hadn't counted on being here alone, or at least the only one awake, for more than a few hours, either. He certainly hadn't counted on a hungry companion. 

But it would be fine, he told himself. Prince Song Mino, epitome of charming, wasn't just any companion. 

They would eat soup and wake the Princess and everyone else, and Mino wouldn't even have to find out that Seungyoon couldn't build a fire to save his life. (Quite literally. It had been a pain on the journey here and now he was just glad it was summer.)

Maybe there was something in this working together thing, after all. 

 

It was a big castle. It took them another three days. 

Mino lifted the torch to get more light. Torches were great. Seungyoon loved torches. They burned away the spiderwebs before they could tangle and stick into his hair and it let them search for longer. (Although not too much longer because, as Mino said, "Do you _want_ to be murdered by the castle ghost?" The kitchens, where they'd laid out their bed rolls near the hearth, were apparently safe from said castle ghost. Seungyoon didn't feel like pointing out the flaw in this logic.) 

Seungyoon put his hand on the cold stone, dragging his fingertips along the rough surface to try and find the fault lines. 

"There _is_ something here." 

"A hidden door. I knew it. Great." Mino took a step back to let the fire illuminate the surrounding walls. "Now we just need to find out how the fuck to open it." 

"But they can't put the Princess behind a hidden door," Seungyoon whined. "It's not fair play. Who would do that?" 

"Someone nasty enough to put an entire castle asleep for a hundred years? I wouldn't exactly put it past them. I don't know, but I do hope she _is_ here. We've searched all the other towers. If this is a bust there's only the cellars left."

"Not a fan of cellars?" Seungyoon guessed, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Mino elbowed him. 

"Do you really want to smooch someone who's been rotting in the damp for a hundred years?" 

"They're under a spell, they're not rotting," Seungyoon said absently. He pushed the secret door experimentally, leaning his entire weight against it. It didn't budge. 

"Sure, sure. Protection against the passage of time. Easiest thing in the world. But damp? I wouldn't count on that spell being any protection against damp. It'll be like a kissing a frog, count on it." 

Seungyoon snorted. "Right, okay. Did you find anything that looks like a switch?" 

"Nothing whatsoever," Mino groaned. 

"Then help me push it."

Mino obligingly took up station next to Seungyoon and they pushed at the stone as hard as they could. 

"Nothing," Mino said panting harshly. "You can't open secret doors by brute fo--" 

 

"Crap," Seungyoon said finally, voice muffled against the flagstones. "I think my chin is one big bruise."

"Yeah." Mino groaned. "I think my whole body is one big bruise. Although I guess the bright side of this place being made entirely of fucking bone breaking stone is that we didn't burn it down," he added, picking the torch back up. There was still a tiny glow left. 

"Still. If I marry her, I'm having the place measured for carpets." 

"Good on you," Mino said. "If I marry her, we're moving." 

 

She was in the tower. It had to be her. The obligatory spinning wheel was only a few feet away. They leaned over the bed, peering into the gloom. After a few moments, Mino went over to the window to pull the curtains aside. It didn't improve matters much, although it did make them slightly more visible. 

"Huh," Seungyoon said. 

"Yeah," Mino agreed. 

"I mean. I mean, at least she doesn't look like a frog," Seungyoon said doubtfully. 

"Not froggy, I'll grant you," Mino said, nodding solemnly. Seungyoon looked at the face in the bed, then glanced at Mino, standing at his shoulder. The latter was a much, much more compelling sight and he had to forcibly tear himself away to focus back on the Princess. 

The last couple of days had been... good, sure, despite the dusty castle. Mino made them a lot better than anyone should have been able to. 

Mino was beautiful and made him laugh and looked out for him, made him feel warm and safe in a way he hadn't for a long time, and let Seungyoon look out for _him_ in return. (When, for example, a medium-sized spider needed to be torched or a creepy dark corridor needed inspecting.) It made Seungyoon's heart swell. It made him feel pleasantly and oddly heroic. 

He didn't even know which side of Mino he preferred, but that was okay. It seemed to be a package deal.

But marriage, alas, beckoned. 

"I guess, to be fair, it must be hard to look attractive after sleeping for a hundred years," Seungyoon said desperately. "Beauty sleeps are probably only helpful up to a point. If you're unconscious for a hundred years you won't have time to... I don't know, moisturize," he hazarded. Mino squirmed. He was close enough that Seungyoon could feel him move. 

"Yeah," he said at last. "I mean, sure, but. Well. You're a lot prettier." 

Seungyoon blinked. "What." 

"I'm just saying. I went on a quest at the end of which I was promised kissable cherry lips. I don't make the rules here." 

Seungyoon considered this. He turned to Mino, half expecting a teasing grin but he looked oddly nervous. 

He considered it some more. He considered Mino's mouth in particular. 

"We can't just leave her here," he hissed finally. 

"Of course not, of course not," Mino soothed. 

"We're princes, we have a duty." 

"Duty, sure," Mino echoed. They turned to look back at the bed once more. "Look, it won't really be _leaving_ her here. We'll just be doing the next guy a favor. We can leave the door propped open. A couple of signs, maybe. _Turn left here_." 

"Is that allowed?" 

Mino shrugged. "Who the fuck's gonna know? She isn't telling anyone." 

Seungyoon hesitated. He had a duty but... Who was going to know? And, hey, she might not have liked him either. Maybe it was his divine duty to leave the door propped open for some other sucker. 

"Okay," Seungyoon said. Okay, he decided. He had to bite on his lip to keep the smile off his face. Mino didn't even bother, grinning widely.

"Okay," he echoed. He leaned in, hand on the back of Seungyoon's neck. His Prince Charming...

At the last minute, Seungyoon ducked away, Mino's mouth missing his by a hair's breadth. Mino stumbled. 

"Wait!" Seungyoon said, clapping his hands in front of his mouth. "The curse. We better go outside. Out of the castle. Or we _will_ have to explain and one of us _will_ have to get married."

Mino looked amused. He tugged Seungyoon's hands away and held them in his own. 

"Us break the curse? We're not even part of it."

"Yeah, well..." 

"For that to work, it'd have to be True Love's Kiss," Mino said. His eyes sparkled. 

"Better safe than sorry?" Seungyoon tried, swallowing nervously. 

Mino laughed. Then he nodded. 

"Better safe than sorry." 

One hand tight in Seungyoon's, warm in Seungyoon's, they climbed down the tower and out of the castle. 

Walked through the tall grass. 

And kissed. 

And it was magic all by itself. 


End file.
